SMS is the fastest channel you have and the most regulated one. It lives right next to Email under Marketing → SMS, and the setup shape is the same as Email: build a template once, drop in variables, then send from a lead profile, from a saved view, or from an automation.
Templates are still the point. Write the tour reminder once, then let every automation, task, and one-off send pull from the same place.
Where SMS lives
Same left navigation as Email. Marketing → SMS. Same setup shape, different channel.
Before you can send: carrier verification
Getting a phone number for calls is instant. Pick a number in Settings, hit save, and you can dial a lead the same minute. SMS is the opposite. Before you can send a single text, your business has to be approved by the phone carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) through Playground's messaging provider, Twilio. This is a US government requirement (A2P 10DLC) to protect consumers from spam and scams. It is not a Playground policy and Playground cannot shortcut it.
A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person messaging on 10-Digit Long Code numbers. It is a US carrier framework that requires any business texting from a regular phone number to register who they are and what they send. It exists to cut spam and scam texts, and it applies to every SMS platform, not just Playground.
For the full walkthrough, read the SMS verification section of the Playground help article.
Check each requirement off as your site is ready. All three must be true before you submit, otherwise carriers reject on sight.
Reviewers open your homepage and scroll straight to the footer. If they cannot find two separate legal pages there, the application is denied before the CRM form is even read. This is the single most common reason for rejection.
Carriers manually check the website you list on the form. Missing either link is the fastest way to get rejected.
Its own dedicated page and URL. Must include SMS language: opt-in, STOP to unsubscribe, HELP for help, message frequency, message and data rates.
A separate dedicated page and URL, not merged with the Privacy Policy. Templates below are ready to copy, paste, and swap in your info.
- • Two separate links in the footer
- • Visible on every page, including the lead form
- • Each link opens its own dedicated page
- • One combined "Privacy & Terms" page
- • Links buried inside a menu or only on the homepage
- • PDF downloads instead of real web pages
Use these Playground-approved templates as a starting point. Copy the text, replace the placeholders in [BRACKETS] with your center's info, publish each one at its own URL, and link both from your site footer. We recommend a lawyer review before publish.
Effective Date: [DATE]
Last Updated: [DATE]
[COMPANY NAME] ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard information when you access or use our website located at [WEBSITE URL] (the "Site").
By accessing or using the Site, you accept the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Site.
1. Information We Collect
We and our service providers may collect: full name, email address, phone number (when provided), IP address, general geographic location, information submitted through forms (which may include a child's name, date of birth, or health/medical details), public social media profile details when you interact with us on social platforms, technical and usage information (browser type, referring pages, device model, ISP, usage behavior), and user-generated submissions such as messages, feedback, images, or form responses. We may also compile anonymous or aggregated information.
2. How We Collect It
Through forms on our Site, newsletter or marketing signups, email/SMS/social media, embedded content, and automated technologies such as cookies, tracking pixels, and analytics services (including Google Analytics 4 and Meta Pixel).
3. How We Use Collected Information
Responding to inquiries, sending marketing emails or SMS when you have opted in, monitoring Site usage and performance, marketing analysis and targeted advertising, protecting against fraud, and complying with legal obligations. We do not sell personal information to third parties.
4. Cookies and Tracking
Our Site uses cookies and pixels to analyze visitor activity, deliver more relevant advertising (Google Ads, Meta Ads), and improve Site functionality. Most browsers let you control cookie preferences.
5. Sharing and Disclosure
Your information may be shared with hosting and infrastructure providers, CRM and marketing automation platforms, analytics and advertising partners, and legal authorities when required by law. We may also share anonymized or aggregated data.
6. Your Privacy Rights
Residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah may have rights to Know, Delete, Correct, Opt Out of Targeted Advertising, Limit Use of Sensitive Information (CA), and Non-Discrimination. To exercise these rights, contact us using the information below.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary. You may unsubscribe from marketing emails via the unsubscribe link. For marketing text messages, reply STOP to opt out.
8. Children's Privacy
Some forms may request information about a child from a parent or legal guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent (COPPA). Contact us to remove such data.
9. Data Security
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards including encrypted transmission and storage, secure servers, access restrictions, role-based permissions, and routine security reviews. No system is completely secure.
10. Automated Processing
Limited automated tools may display advertising based on browsing behavior, analyze how services are presented, and filter spam. These processes do not make legally binding decisions.
11. Do Not Track
Our Site does not currently respond to DNT signals.
12. Accessibility
Contact us if you need this policy in an alternative format or encounter accessibility barriers.
13. Manage Cookie Preferences
Manage preferences via your browser settings or our cookie consent tool. Essential cookies may remain active.
14. Updates
We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically. Updates will be posted with a revised Last Updated date.
15. SMS Communications
If you provide your phone number and consent through a form checkbox, you agree to receive SMS messages from [COMPANY] regarding inquiries, services, and marketing communications. Message frequency may vary. Standard message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP, or request assistance by replying HELP. Phone numbers collected for SMS will not be shared, sold, or rented to third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes.
16. Contact
[COMPANY NAME]
Email: [EMAIL]
Website: [WEBSITE]Verification is not automatic and it is not something Playground submits for you in the background. Go to Settings → Connections and press Verifyon the SMS warning banner. That opens the carrier registration form. Fill in your legal business name, EIN, website URL, sample messages, and estimated monthly volume, then submit.
Create an SMS template
Click New template and give it a name your team will recognize six months from now. Short, direct, one job per message. The character counter turns amber past 160 (one segment) and red past 320 (two segments) to warn about segment size.
If a message promotes your center, an open house, a discount, a referral push, a re-engagement blast, or any campaign, you must turn on Marketing/Promotional. Playground then auto-appends the required "Reply STOP to opt out" language that carriers and the TCPA expect.
Sending promo texts without that toggle is a compliance violation. Carriers (Twilio, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) can strip your ability to send SMS entirely, and it can expose your business to real financial penalties per message.
Rule of thumb: if it is not a one-to-one reply, a reminder, or a transactional confirmation, treat it as marketing and flip it on.
Let AI write it for you
Hit AI Suggestions to generate a short draft under 160 characters, or highlight any line and click Personalize to rewrite in a warmer, shorter, or more urgent tone. Variables stay in place so each lead still gets their own name and tour date.
Variables with fallbacks and STOP language
Variables behave the same way they do on Email, with the same fallback logic so a lead with no first name on file does not get "Hi ,". On SMS you also need opt-out language. Toggle it on to see how it appends.
Missing fields fall back to "there" so nothing ever renders as "Hi ,".
Send from a lead profile
Open a lead, hit the SMS quick action, pull a template or write from scratch, send. The message logs on the timeline the moment it goes out.
Send to a list or a view, now or later
SMS goes out to a list of people, never to a single lead from here. That is why views matter: the view is the send list. Open a template, hit Send SMS, and the modal asks two questions: which list and when. Pick a saved view like "Waitlist, all ages" or a filtered group like "Tour Completed", then choose Send now or Schedule for later. Variables still fill in per lead so every family sees their own name.
The number in the modal is not the same as the view total. If a view has 42 leads but only 37 have opted into SMS, only those 37 are included. The other 5 stay in the view, but the send skips them.
Manage your SMS after they exist
Every SMS template lives under Marketing → SMS. From the row menu you can view, edit, or delete a template. If you are unsure, check where it is used before deleting anything that might still be tied to automations or meetings.
See where an SMS is used and how it performed
Open any SMS template to get the full picture: which automations trigger it, which meetings use it, a live preview, and a performance block with sends, delivered, and replies. Below that, Recipients lists every family who received it and whether it delivered and whether they replied.
Tips before you press send
Longer messages get split by the carrier and reassembled on the recipient's phone, which sometimes goes wrong. Trim before you send.